Home Wreckers
by BMeph
Summary: Mai's finally on her way in the Real World, having finished culinary school. Only, things aren't that easy; she keeps getting dismissed before she finishes, always for the same cause: Food - Delicious, Attitude - Too Nosy. Now it's her last chance to be, not just a cook, but a chef. Uh-oh, what is Nao of all people doing here? Mai-HiME is the property of Sunrise, not me
1. Last on Her List

Home Wrecker, A Mai-HiME fanfic

Chapter 1: Last on Her List

Looking at the slip of paper one more time to be sure, the vermillion-haired woman looked longingly at the open road before tightening her face in determination, she walked the short distance to the cottage's front door. Not that it was ugly, on the contrary, it was a cute, if cozy home, well-maintained, and in a nice, if remote, neighborhood. The home's looks were the issue, but rather the home's position on her list of employment prospects; it was the last one on her list.

There had originally been eight such prospects, clients assigned to by her cooking school, and only now she was wondering if she should have just saved her money and opened her own food stand. She'd tried each client, tried to be a good employee, but something would always happen to cause her to seek anew. The first five had actually been not too bad; unfortunately, she had learned this only in hindsight. Each time she'd begin with good intent, but something about each one would become intolerable, and so either she would be dismissed (at first), or her sanity at risk, she would ask to leave. Every thing from odd schedule demands, to odd fetishes, to bizarre side dish requests, worse than her high school pal's notorious mayonnaise obsession. Now she was at the end of her rope, and while she had always been an excellent cook, a bad reputation in a hospitality field could make or break a career.

Hoping against hope, she knocked on the door, wondering what horror lay in store for her, praying that she could somehow endure, at least long enough to qualify as an official placement, and not wreck her job life before it had hardly began. The door opened, and Mai found herself face-to-face with a tired, frail, but friendly-looking, auburn-haired woman.

"Tokiha Mai-san?"  
"Yes. I am honored by your consideration."  
"Please, come in."

Mai entered the home, and it looked just as cozy and charming on the inside. The woman, Nakamura Hanako, was an excellent hostess. She explained her situation over tea and rice crackers, that she had been a long time in hospital, recovering from an assault, and then a coma. Her stamina was still an issue, and while she built up her body again for the rigors of life, she found the need for someone to help take care of her and her daughter, studying to be a doctor. While she insisted that housework was just the thing to get her back into condition, she needed someone to do the cooking, and she would not want to risk prevailing on her courageous daughter, who virtually had to raise herself, and who was doing so well with her studies.

By the end of her tale, Mai was in tears, weeping at the older woman's feet, and all but begging to be allowed to help take care of the two courageous women. Hanako - she insisted, since they would all be living and working so closely together - was herself touched, and finally hugged the sensitive young woman if only to stop the risk of herself bursting into tears in sympathy. They had hit it off so well from the start, that Mai had gone ahead and fixed a light supper for Hanako, and readied some noodles for a quick nourishing supper once the daughter came home. Meanwhile, Hanako and Mai continued to chat, sharing more about each other, hopes, dreams, even a few of their lived-  
through nightmares.

Finally, getting close to eight o'clock, the ladies heard a rattle as the multiple locks of the door were unlocked by a key. Mai got up to heat up the noodles and add some extras to it for a tasty, light meal. While the supper was made ready, Hanako told her daughter about the cooking arrangements she had made, and the new friend that would help them out. As Mai filled the plate and placed it on the table, she was mildly happy that she'd been able to set it down, for she now knew why this home, was the last one on her list.

Hanako's daughter...was Yuuki Nao.


	2. Happy Little Home Wrecker

Home Wrecker, A Mai-HiME fanfic

Chapter 2: Happy Little Home Wrecker

The first thing Mai noticed on confronting Nao was that the expression on her face was exactly the same as she remembered - sardonic, almost eager in her cruelty and lust to inflict pain. The next thing Mai noticed was that Nao looked like a woman, not a girl, and an attractive one. Of course, Nao had always been an attractive girl, all the better to entice her unsuspecting victims to their doom...or at least, to their humiliation and robbing. _She could probably make about ten times as much money pulling that same trick on men as a call girl...wait,_ Mai thought to herself, _what am I thinking? Bad Mai, Nao's studying to be a doctor; that's a wonderful, honorable profession!_

"'T'sup, Boobs," Nao snarked. "Nao! That's no way to treat a guest," Hanako exclaimed, shocked at the rude remarks of her daughter; shockingly, Nao ducked her head and blushed, answering, "Sorry, Mama. We already know each other; we went to high school together." Nao went over to stand in front of Hanako, in a submissive posture, despite being distinctly taller than the older woman. "Then you should be even more kind to her, as an old friend." Nao ducked her head again, this time in acknowledgement, then tenderly and carefully, as if handling a porcelain cup, Nao hugged her mother, and was hugged in return. Mai thought they looked so adorable...until Nao looked up at her, with those electric green eyes. _Tell this to anyone and you will die,_ the glare seemed to say, before she lowered her eyes and gave one last tender squeeze.

Before Nao could start up again with her barbed remarks, her stomach had a comment or two to add. Happy to have the chance at getting in the last word, Mai waved Nao over to the table, and her still-hot supper waiting for her. Betrayed by her hunger, the sullen med student thanked Mai, took a seat, and with a subdued "Itedakimasu," began on her meal. Unable to contain herself, Nao let out an evocative moan of pleasure at the first bite. Blushing slightly, Mai graciously helped Hanako to a seat and poured tea for them both. Hanako reached up and tugged on Mai's blouse as she went to put the kettle back. Smiling and nodding, Mai got a cup for herself and sat across from Nao, occasionally blushing, as Nao made more suggestively enthusiastic noises while she ate. Hanako laughed lightly, and remarked that Nao would have a sweeter tongue, now that she knew what good things could sweeten it in return. Nao blushed a little, but didn't interrupt her eating.

When finished, Nao's reach for her tea cup was blocked by Hanako. Looking up, she caught her mom's eyes dart to the left, before flicking back to her, narrowing slightly. closing her eyes and nodding slightly, Nao sighed, and folded her hands in front of her, and backed a bit away from the table. "Mai, thank you very much," Nao began, bowing seated. "The meal was...amazing; I can see why the stray cat always hung around you." Mai's face scrunched up a little, then drooped as Mai's face took on a sad, pensive expression.

Hanako lifted the tea cup, and lightly rapped it on the table, tilting her head more left, while keeping her eyes firmly, intensely, on her daughter. Again, Nao bowed at the waist, and apologized. "I'm sorry for calling you 'Boobs,' it was rude, and ungracious of me as a host." Mai looked at Hanako, then Nao, and back, amazed at how submissive and cooperative Nao was being for her mother. Mai almost said something about it being no problem...but a glint in those peridot eyes showed that Nao wasn't quite done, and wasn't quite as "submissive" as her initial speech had suggested. "You gotta admit, though...they're huge!"

"Nao!" Hanako sighed - or huffed - and looked back at Mai with a shaky-looking smile, shoulders closing in on her ears. "I mean," Nao continued, looking up, smirk on full blast, "they look like they've grown! You should cut down on the milk, already!" Strangely, Mai did not look discomfited, but was looking right back at Nao, a little Cat Smile of her own on her lips. "No, no worries, Hanako-san," Mai said, waving a hand between them, before tucking it under her chin, continuing to smirk back at Nao. "We have a little history, Nao and I, I know she's just making a little joke, that's all." Mai's eyes narrowed, and the smile, if anything, got a little brighter.

Finally suspecting something might have been done to the food, Nao's smirk disappeared in a flash, and she exclaimed at Mai, "What?" Mai laughed, a small, menacing laugh, and fanning her hands over her head, said, "Oh, just remembering a _costume_, from some time ago." Mai put her hands down, and sipped her tea, glancing back up as if to ask if Nao remembered it, too. From the sudden deer-  
in-the-headlights expression that flashed across her face, Mai saw that it had; while Natsuki had all-but exploded in laughter to see it, that didn't mean no one else had seen it, or forgotten the showy display. Knowing that Nao was remembering the outfit was revenge enough for Mai; besides, she'd rather remember her own performance from later that night, how she'd finally been able to sing her heart out, and just be a regular high school girl, for the first time...ever, it had felt like. That night had been a bright light in a very dark year.

Hanako looked back and forth between Nao and Mai. "Yeah, just making a joke, ha-ha." As she ducked her head, and finally got at her tea, Nao looked more like she would rather have a cup of sake than tea in her hands. Hanako smiled at her daughter, her delightful bundle of contradictions, so similar to herself, yet so different in the oddest ways...

Hanako reached out to run her hand through Nao's still-  
bright hair, pausing for just a second, as her eyes fluttered. Recognizing the signs, Nao immediately got up and offered her hands to her mom. Hanako tried to wave her overly cautious daughter off, but needed to cover her mouth as she yawned wide enough to stick her teacup into. "Help me out, Mai," Nao asked, in an uncommonly soft tone. Mai got up, and together, both young ladies helped the older one from the floor, and down the hall to the futon in her room. As she changed the woman's clothes, Nao said quietly, "It's one of the complications of the coma; if she stays up for too long, or works too hard, she just shuts down. I guess having you here let her feel less tired than she usually gets; she's usually asleep already if I've been studying this late, so, um...thanks for that. But don't think we're getting all chummy, or nothing; you may be helping out Momma, but this is just a professional arrangement."

Mai looked thoughtfully at Nao, as if trying to decide something tough. Apparently, she decided, because she said to Nao, "You try too hard, Nao." Nao looked up for a moment, at the older redhead, went back to tucking her mom in, gave her a kiss on the forehead, and shooed the two of them back to the table. Making a side stop in the kitchen, Nao pulled out a bottle of sake and refilled the cups on the table with "something more useful." Nao clinked the cups together, and with a glint in her eye, softly said, "Kampai." Then, she waited for Mai to drink. Mai took a small sip, then took a bigger one when she saw Nao's scrunched-up face. Then, eyebrows up, Mai looked at Nao's cup, then back to Nao; the younger woman huffed, delicately placed the cup "just so" to her lips, and inhaled the contents in one smooth head-tossing action. Then, she re-filled her cup, filled up her mom's, and sliding the latter across, pointed at Mai's semi-full vessel, and in an exaggerated, menacing tone, repeated herself: "Kam. Pai." Eyebrow twitching, Mai looked back with wide-open amethysts at her apparent-alcoholic co-  
employer. _What is it with flame-red hair and getting yourself smashed_, Mai thought to herself, as Nao reached over, took Mai's cup, wrapped her fingers around it, and shoved it into Mai's face. Able to read the writing on the wall and unwilling to let Nao do what else she might care to justify as she forced the liquid down Mai's throat, Mai shotgunned the drink. Turning her head and coughing quietly, Mai watched as Nao took her mom's cup, full of booze, and poured it into her own, then horrified, watched as Nao held her hand up, lightly tapped their cups together and again, said "Kampai," once more downing hers in that one smooth head toss, not even waiting for Mai.

Nao grabbed the sake bottle, got it ready to pour, then looked at Mai - she quickly downed her cupful in a few hurried, burning gulps. Apparently, this satisfied her, since she straightened the bottle, slid it over to Mai, and then held out her cup. Feeling a bit peevish, Mai snatched the bottle up, filled Nao's cup to near-full, with her own to match, tapped them together and challen-  
gingly, said, "Kampai." Nao did her inhalation trick, and Mai just forced herself to gulp it down. Flushed with more than success, Nao filled her cup about half-way, as was Mai's, then looking the older woman in the eye, cockily posed, "So, who's working too hard now?" Mai, unused to "imitating Midori-chan," as she thought of it, not only felt flushed, but her head spinning, just a little. She giggled quietly, because to be honest, it didn't feel bad at all, and she found Nao's antics to be childish and amusing.

"Silly Nao," Mai began, the beginnings of a slur easily heard in her voice, "I didn't mean hard working, I meant too hard _pushing_!" Then she took her half-cup into her mouth, swished it around like mouthwash, and swallowed in one hard gulp. "He-he, wow," Mai breathed, "that's some good stuff you got there, Nao!" Nao sneered, answering, "Well, of course it is, why would I want to drink crap? I get enough crap in my face at school." Mai motioned like a bobble head, but in her mind, she was nodding sagely. "Uh-  
huh," she said, definitely slurring now, "that'sh why you TRY sho hard, to pusshh people away!"

"Maybe," Nao self-justified, "it's because I don't need anyone else's crap in my face?" She slid her cup over to Mai's cup, enjoying the soft clack of the ceramic as it connected. "Don't spill it, now, 'cause that would be very rude...to the drink!" Nao wasn't slurring - yet - but she was definitely feeling a nice warmth of the drink in her; it really was some good sake, though not her best. Mai took the bottle, and poured a full cup for the both of them, them sliding the bottle in a large circle, avoiding the cups, to rest it against Nao's arm. "I've done waitresshing for yeeeeearsh, sho worry 'bout your own cup. Hey, Nao," Mai went off on a new tangent, "are you friends with anyone besides Micho...Mitoku...besides cat-  
girl?" Nao thought about it for a couple of seconds, giving Mai a chance to sponge up half of her beverage. Being a wise woman, Nao delayed speaking until she had something to say. "I know a lot of people, and they know me, but I wouldn't say we're friends. They talk to me, and I let them live, but it's not like we're close." Mai leaned way - WAY - across the table, and not quite focusing on the flamenette, said, "I think you just need to have a BIIIIIIIIG Hug...right after I finish my drink!"

Mai tilted her cup up and let the rest of the sake run over her tongue into her stomach. This was fortunate, since to do this, she tilted her head back enough to lose her balance, and whack the table with her knee. Seeing what was about to happen, Nao quickly lifted the bottle and her cup from the table, thus saving the rest of the precious liquor. One leg stretched out, Mai shook the cup a couple of times at her mouth, with no result. "Aw," Mai remarked, staring up at her empty cup, "it's all gone, that's so sad..." Then, she started to cry, softly at first, but not for long. Nao flipped the top back on the bottle, tamped it shut, slurped her cup dry, and set off on a Grand Crawling Adventure around the table, to shut the older girl up. "Hey, you," Nao interrupted Mai's blubbering, "it's after hours, and you've had enough. Time for you to...hey, shut it, already, you're gonna wake my ma, and that's not cool!" Nao crawled over until her green eyes were right over Mai's violet ones. "Hey, Mai, sshhh, time to go to sleep." Mai stopped crying and giggled, saying, "You have pretty eyes, Nao, like shiny chips of jade." Nao lowered her face until their foreheads touched, and said, "You're pretty drunk, Mai, and you need to sleep it off."

"Okay," cheerily responded the buxom beauty, and promptly closed her eyes, snoring lightly. Nao blinked owlishly and nudged Mai's cheek with her nose. "Hey, hey Mai. Mai!" To no use; Mai was dead to the world, and all its woes, especially its green-eyed, red-haired ones. Sighing, Nao put the sake back in its cubby, got the cups, crawled to below the sink to leverage the cups on the counter, then went to get a duvet and pillow from the closet. She debated whether to undress Mai, but as entertaining as it would be to hear Mai freaking out about waking up naked - and that did appeal greatly to Nao's sense of mischief, it meant that she'd have to run her hands over Mai...she shivered at the thought. No, better to let sleeping Dragon Princesses lie. Besides, what if her bra came undone at the wrong time - poor Nao might suffocate, and no one would find her until the morning!

Turning the room light off, and leaving the bathroom light on, Nao crawled slowly into her room, not even taking the time to get out her bedding, just curling up in her closet, like a kitten in a hide-away. Her last thoughts were of what might have happened if she had taken Mai's clothes o-


	3. Home is Where the Wreck Is

Home Wrecker, A Mai-HiME fanfic

Chapter 3: Home Is Where the Wreck Is

Nao got up at six o'clock - some habits die hard - and wandered into her mom's room just in time to see her stretch and stand up. Eyes shining like gems, Nao went to the center of the room, where Hanako joined her, and together, they did some T'ai Chi exercises. For Nao, mornings were bigger than Christmas, and she never got tired of starting her day, seeing her mom standing and bright-eyed, ready to start the day.

Hanako wrapped her arms around Nao's back, while Nao ducked her head enough to keep their cheeks together. Hanako started to push Nao to go take a bath while she fixed breakfast; Nao interrupted, reminding her mother of their new-found domestic arrangement. "In fact, usually Mai was already up by this time, making bentos and such, back in high school. Maybe she's still sleeping in..." Hanako forced herself not to laugh at the thoroughly up-to-no-good expression on the redhead's face; it was adorable as anything, but really, Nao-chan should learn to be kind to her friends. "Behave, Nao; Mai-san is in our care, so we must treat her like family." Nao smiled evilly, "Oh, yes, Mama, I'll behave, I'll behave." Hanako didn't need special mind powers to see her daughter was thinking, "I'll behave _rottenly,"_ since it was written so plainly on her face. "I'm...just going to see if Mai is awake yet..." _...and wake her up if she isn't_, Nao finished in her head. Hanako reached out and mussed up Nao's hair, neither one paying attention to the fact that Hanako had to reach _up_ to do so.

Creeping into the living room like a stalking cat, Nao snuck in, hoping to catch Mai unawares. Then, seeing her still asleep, she quickly ducked back, zipped into the bathroom, kissed her mom on the cheek, _carefully_ lifted a can of mousse, danced back out, and put an egg-sized pile of it on Mai's outstretched fingertips. Then, combing through her hair, she got a loose one, and used it to tickle Mai's nose. It was an amazing miracle; Nao was so intent on her plan, that she didn't make a sound until Mai snorted some foam, and woke herself. When Mai went to wipe the bubbles off of her nose, only to find the reason for the bubbles being there in the first place, Nao couldn't hold it any longer.

NOT impressed, Mai went to wipe her hand on Nao's face, but the younger woman ducked at the last minute, landing Mai's hand in her crimson mop. "Geez, Nao, you must be, what, twenty? You're still acting like a child!" Nao played with the mousse-spot on her head, drawing part of her bangs into a forelick suspiciously similar to that of another nearby redhead, snidely replying, "Oh, not all the time, Mai, just for you..." She batted her eyes at Mai while she spoke, which just made Mai more annoyed, and Nao more entertained. Cradling the can of mousse like her favorite child, and still occasionally giggling, Nao got off the floor, and whipping the cover off of Mai, said, "Sorry to cut you nappy-time short, O Honorable Boobs-san, but it's time for you to earn your keep."

Grabbing the pillow under her head, and whipping it at Nao's face - only to have the younger woman jump up and bundle it with the futon - Mai grumped, "What is it with always talking about my boobs...breasts, anyway?" Nao shrugged, sassily replying, "It's like the elephant in the room." Raising an eyebrow, Mai sputtered, "What are you talking about, you're the one always bringing them up, so no one can avoid talking about it!" Nao smirked, "Huh? Oh, no, I meant they're huge, like an elephant in a room. Aw, I'm just playing," Nao waved, as Mai self-consciously and almost unconsciously crossed her arms over her sizable chest, "Mikoto would never shut up about 'Mai's melons' _this_ and 'Mai's melons' _that,_ so I figured you were used to being the talk of the town by now. I didn't mean a thing by it - shake?"

Mai looked up at Nao's offered hand with suspicion, grabbing the wrist and turning her palm up. Sitting like a joy buzzer stand-in, was another dollop of mousse. As Mai gave Nao a "disappointed" look, Nao giggled, ran her hand through her hair, leaving a stylish set of spikes throughout her hair. Mai then accepted Nao's hand up, holding on long enough to wrap her arms around Nao and give the mischievous one a great, big, Marshmallowy hug. By the time Mai was done, Nao's face matched her hair - well, except for the spikes. Nao gasped dramatically for breath, as Mai laughed. "Just remember," Mai warned, "that I give as good as I get." Then, smiling, Mai spun around and started fixing some yakisoba for breakfast. Nao huffed, and waving in the kitchen's direction, went back to the bathroom, with a loud "Whatever," smiling at her mom as the two swapped rooms.

Once behind closed doors, Nao leaned back and rubbed her face. "They are pretty soft," she muttered to herself, before quickly looking forward, and burying her face in her hands. "Where the heck did that come from; I am NOT Mikoto, I don't even Like girls! I mean, I like some, but I don't _like_-like...aaahh! Less talking, more washing!" With clothes in the hamper and wash cloth in hand, Nao proceeded to do just that.

Fresh clothes on and book satchel in hand, Nao came back to the living room, greeting her mom with a loud cheer. Then, after a kiss on the cheek and a cheeky wink, Nao slid her eyes toward her shoulder, further turning her head to catch sight of the third member of the household. "Good morning, Big Sis, how are those huge...cooking arms doing today?"

Still feeling a bit tipsy from the night before, and in a good mood from cooking, Mai decided to be a bit playful. Kissing Nao on the cheek, she said, "Good morning, _imouto-chan_! I'll let you judge for yourself, how my...cooking arms are." She then gave the wok a last seasoning and toss, and put three portions of yakisoba on plates, then pulled out an egg, offered it to Nao teasingly, before putting on a thoughtful face and pulling it back, with a fake pout. With a quick flourish, she flipped the soba around, putting each serving back on its plate, this time with a still-cooking egg nestled in the center like a nest. Setting each plate down, along with each person's drink, they began to enjoy the meal; by the glint in Mai's eye and the twitch at the corner of Nao's mouth, some enjoyed it more than others.

As much as Nao's fingers itched to tweak out Vengeance over Mai's chain-yanking, she knew that one, she'd get better opportunities to get hers back; and two, Mai really was an amazing cook. Telling herself that this wasn't so much a surrender, as a temporary cease-fire, Nao went ahead and picked up her chopsticks, only cringing a little when her mom giggled - giggled! Mom! - and complemented Mai on her skills, and not just the cooking. "I think this will be a very satisfactory arrangement for you and your agency, Mai-chan," Hanako remarked, dipping a clump of noodle in her egg, and popping it in her mouth. "Well," Nao warned, "let's not be too hasty; there is a time limit for a reason." Hanako's mouth quirked up on the side in a way that Mai had seen on Nao thousands of times, and with a mix between pointing, and a feint to pick at Nao's food, she replied, "Taste the noodles, Nao-chan, then try that speech again." Shrugging a shoulder and rolling her eyes, Nao coolly grabbed a small bit of soba and placed it in her mouth...then spent the next minute licking the chopsticks clean. Oh, Kami-sama, but those were good; Nao promised that the next time she ran into Cat-Girl, she wouldn't tease her about going cuckoo for Mai's cooking any longer.


End file.
